Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon.com

5.0 out of 5 starsI think I dare say that it's even better than Periphery II and all of its glory

30 March 2015 - Published on Amazon.com

Verified Purchase

Definitely a worthy comeback from Periphery II. After listening to the Clear EP and other things that Periphery was releasing between the release of Periphery II and Alpha/Omega I was a little worried that these wouldn't be as close to me, but they definitely proved me wrong. Alpha takes the cake. I think I dare say that it's even better than Periphery II and all of its glory.

Periphery designed both albums with a single concept in mind--hence, I'm reviewing them as one.

Prior to the Juggernaut albums, Periphery consistently released dynamic, progressive, and though-provoking material. The musicians are industry leaders. The band is excellent live. I absolutely love Periphery I and II. Sadly, both Juggernaut albums demonstrate a significant departure from previous releases.

I truly wanted to enjoy Juggernaut. While unimpressed with the pre-release stream, I still purchased both albums and listened to them repeatedly, hoping the songs would grow on me--yet after a month, I can't honestly say that I enjoy either album. The music isn't necessarily awful, it's just bland and sounds uninspired (terms I never thought could apply to Periphery). Admittedly, there are instances where the old band shines through, but these are fleeting and interspersed with long stretches of stale riffs and cringe-inducing lyrics. Even more confusing is the albums' incongruous structure--this was supposed to be a concept album. The songs flow poorly (i.e. the transition between "Reprise" and "The Bad Thing") and both albums resemble a random assortment of b-sides. The lyrics are the sole evidence of a concept, albeit a senseless one. Below are my thoughts in detail:

The Guitars -- Periphery is known for virtuosity with three gifted guitarists (especially Misha). Strangely, Juggernaut's guitar work is far less technical and creative than in previous albums. As a guitarist, I always loved to learn (or attempted to learn) their songs, but that isn't the case here. Put bluntly, the guitar work is boring--a term that best captures Juggernaut as a whole. Further, much of the album could be played live with two or one guitars--why bother having a third? Again, there are several great moments (the solos in Omega, the cleans in Priestess, some of 22 Faces, several of the outros...etc), but for every interesting guitar riff or solo, there are minutes of stale guitar work. Frankly, many of the riffs sound like b-sides from their earlier work. I seriously wonder if this is the case given the hour-plus length of material. For example, listen to MK Ultra (best example of b-side-sounding riffs), Rainbow Gravity (monotonous 7-string riffs), Four Lights (see Rainbow Gravity), and the absolute atrocity that is Hell Below. The old albums were brimming with interesting riffs, such as those in Racecar, Buttersnips, All New Materials, Lights, Have a Blast, Ji, Luck as a Constant, Ragnarok, and many others. Hopefully, the band gets back to writing similar riffs in the future--they definitely have the capacity to.

The Drums -- Again, Matt Halpern has shown he is an incredibly talented drummer, but I'm convinced he phoned it in on these records. Maybe the other members wanted him to keep it basic to fir with the "concept." Nevertheless, I can't remember a single interesting drum part from either Juggernaut album, in stark contrast to Periphery I and II.

The Bass -- The one bright spot of Juggernaut. Huge improvement over their past albums where the bass was virtually non-existent. Nolly's "growly" bass is up in the mix here with a great tone that reminds me a bit of Gojira. Hope they keep this up in the future.

The Vocals -- The worst part of the album, bar none. Many fans couldn't stand Spencer on previous albums, but I was always indifferent. He was never exceptional, yet he had his moments. Regardless, I doubt anyone ever listened to Periphery for the vocals. Regrettably, they are forefront here, and they're not good. From the get-go, Spencer moans about children crying and unholy cathedrals, among myriad other insipid themes. His soft singing is reminiscent of a poor-man's Avril Lavigne and his growls are mediocre at best. Spencer's vocals in the first verse of 22 Faces ruin what could have been one of the few strong tracks. It doesn't help that the lyrics are frequently embarrassing--"cringe-worthy" is a better term. Not Limp-Bizkit cringe-worthy, but still corny and repetitive. Egregious examples include: As the water beads up on the window / turn the sad song up on the r-r-radio (was Hawthorne Heights resurrected to write Heavy Heart?) and basically all of "A Black Minute". I'll qualify this general indictment with one exception: Spencer does do this growling/singing combination on Omega (at around the 4:30 mark) which sounds very cool.

I suspect Juggernaut suffers from the instruments being structured around the lackluster vocals, with predictable results. On the contrary, I believe Spencer fit his vocals around the guitars and drums on Periphery's previous efforts. Juggernaut has gotten many positive reviews, so they will likely stick with this formula in the future. The albums have a strong "pop" element--maybe they just need a larger audience to pay the bills (I get that). Regardless, I am a disappointed fan, but I wish Periphery the best of luck in their future endeavors and will check out whatever new material they release in the hopes they return to what originally made them intriguing: creative guitars, drums, and songwriting.